Home > Indianapolis Music > CD Review > Mötley Crüe, 'Saints of Los Angeles'

Backstory: For the first time in 11 years, the four original members (Vince Neil, Mick Mars, Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee) of L.A.’s most notorious metal band reunite to relive past glories…literally. Their ninth record, “Saints of Los Angeles,” serves as a loose retelling of the band’s rise, fall and rise again—it’s the musical equivalent to “The Dirt,” the group’s infamous, bestselling autobiography.
 
Why you should care: “Home Sweet Home,” “Too Young to Fall in Love,” “Kickstart My Heart”—Mötley Crüe had the image, the controversy and, most importantly, the songs. While “Saints” doesn’t have a single of that magnitude, this is easily the group’s best record since 1989’s “Dr. Feelgood.” “Face Down in the Dirt” and “Goin’ Out Swingin’” are fueled by raw punk attitude, and the title track is solid musical sequel to “Live Wire.” Oh, and the Mick Mars freakout on “This Ain’t a Love Song”? Best guitar solo of the year, hands down. Also, props to the group for going ballad-free and using non-ironic cowbell. A shame, then, that the middle part of the record drags so much.
 
Verdict: The music hits it hard and fast about 50 percent of the time; the lyrics, unfortunately, do not enjoy nearly that level of success. Note to the Crüe: nobody really wants to hear Vince Neil do a spoken word intro discussing how people are “drowning in a cesspool of awareness.”
 
X-Factor: If you can, pick up the “clean” version of the record, as you will enjoy creating your own lyrics for “MF of the Year” (we’re guessing “mother figure”) and “This Ain’t a Love Song”, which features the chorus of “this ain’t a love song/this is a _____ song.”